The headstone, donated by Joseph Richmond & Son Memorials on the West Road, has been put up in Newcastle’s West Road Crematorium in memory of Liam Sweeney.

And the fixture, which bares the Newcastle United crest and black and white colours, is a permanent reminder of the 28-year-old’s love for the Magpies.

Liam’s dad Barry, 52, of Killingworth, said the memorial had done his son proud.

He said: “It was such a nice touch and very kind of Joe to offer the headstone free of charge.

“I’ve been astounded by the amount of support we, as a family, have received.

“The headstone has gone up and it’s a lovely touch. I know Liam will be looking down feeling proud.

“It’s black and white - it couldn’t have been anything else.”

Barry Sweeney at West Road Crematorium with his son Liams' headstone donated by Joseph Richmond & Sons Memorials, pictured with stonemason Joe Richmond

Joe Richmond, of Richmond & Son Memorials, said he wanted to do something to help the football fanatic’s family after hearing about their story.

Joe said: “We heard about what happened and how terrible it must have been for the family.

“Everyone has come together and chipped in to help the family and we just wanted to do our bit.”

Liam was travelling with superfan John Alder when they were killed on board the Malaysia Airways flight when it crashed in Ukraine in July.

The pair were travelling to watch Newcastle United play a pre-season friendly in New Zealand.

The family recently marked the six month anniversary of the crash with a quiet pilgrimage to Liam’s grave.

Barry Sweeney at West Road Crematorium with his son Liams' headstone donated by Joseph Richmond & Sons Memorials

And Barry says making friends with the families of other victims of the MH17 tragedy has got him through the darkest months since the crash.

He said: “We’ve become friends with the families of other people who lost their lives in the tragedy.

“We were with the Alder family last week - we met up and had a coffee and talked for hours.

“I’ll never stop talking about Liam, I’ll happily talk about him with anyone, but it’s really helpful talking to them because they really understand.

“We just wish they’d been on a different flight. But we don’t go on about it when we meet up because we don’t need to and we don’t want to be too morbid. Instead we manage to have a bit of a laugh about them, which is nice.”